Tilter mechanism for venetian blinds



United States Patent Q TlLTER MECHANISM FORVENETIAN BLINDS Adolphe W. Loucony, Bridgeport, Conn., assignor to Conso Metal Products, Incorporated, Bridgeport, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application April 23, 1957, Serial No. 654,560

4 Claims. (Cl. 16o-'177) v The present inventionrelates to a tilter mechanism for use with a tilter rod of a Venetian blind.

Heretofore, in employing drum type actuators for the tilting mechanism a problem has been present in that the cords when winding on the drum had a tendency to become displaced so as to jam and render the tilter mechanism inoperative to tilt the Venetian'blind. Further, these drums, when installed in low or narrow headbars, have been diiiicult to reach to restore or replace cords and ditlicult to work on when replacing the cord.

The present invention overcomes these diiculties by providing a simplified drum type tilter in which the cords are effectively controlled during the winding oper ation so as to avoid displacement thereof with the consequent jamming. Furthermore, the tilterof the present invention has the drum arranged on the headbar so that it can be readily removed in the event that it is desired to replace the cords or otherwise work on the cords located on the drums.

In carrying out the present invention a novel means is provided in the form of "a slidable guide grommet mounted in a slot adjacent the drum to slide along the drum as the cords are wound and unwound around the drum and to control the cords and prevent them from becoming displaced and jamming. Further, the drum is provided with a novel mounting means whereby it is securely held in position to extend longitudinally of the headbar, yet is readily releasable for-'withdrawal frori the mechanism to permit access to the drum and cords thereon for replacement or other service as may be required.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the specification and claims when considered in connection with the drawings in which:

Figure l shows a side View of the tilter mechanism of the present invention, one side of the headbar being broken away.

Fig. 2 is a sectional View taken along lines 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged face view of the guide grommet in position in the slot.

Fig. 5 is a detailed View of the end plate and drum shaft. As shown in the drawings, the tilter mechanism of the present invention comprises a base adapted to be secured to the bottom of the usual channel-shaped headbar 11 which may. be formed of a sheet metal channel which has sides 12 and a bottom 13 provided with suitable openings, such as openings 14, for the tapes of the blinds and opening 15 for the cords and has tabs 16 struck from the bottom for mounting the fitting there- As herein illustrated, the iitting comprises the tilter mechanism 17 which is adapted to support and oscillate one end of the tilt rod 18 which extends longitudinally of Vthe headbar and is provided with tape rockers 19, one of which is shown, for receiving the ladder tapes 20 passing kthrough the openings 14 for supporting the slats and bottom rail (not shown) of the blind. The fitting has an elongate base 10 adapted to overlie the bottom of Patented Oct. 14, 1958 the headbar and be secured therein by one or more tabs 16 extending through an opening Z2 and folded over the fitting as shown in Fig. 3.

The tilter mechanism of the present invention has a bracket Z3 having a front face 24 and an end face 25. The bracket is mounted on the base intermediate the ends thereof by means of a tongue 26 on the end face extending under and interlocked with a lanced-out strap 27 on the base and is further positioned on the base by means of a notch 30 in the front face engaging a rib 31 on the base. The bracket is provided with means for supporting one end of a shaft 32 carrying a drum 33 adapted to carry the tilter cords 34, 34a. In the preferred form of the invention the shaft and drum are positioned so as to extend longitudinally of the headbar and the bracket is so arranged as to have a minimum height, thus enabling the fitting to be inserted in a low, narrow headbar. Further, the arrangement of the drum provides a smoother action of the tilter cords 34 since they will move longitudinally of the headbar and transversely ofthe blind as will be explained. In order to secure the drum to the bracket the front face 23 of the bracket is provided with an outwardly extending transverse groove 35 and is provided with a bearing cap 36 adapted to overlie the back of the front face, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and form a socket for securing and supporting the end of the shaftin position.

The other endofthe shaft is mounted in a releasable bearing formed by a sheet metal plate as shown in Fig. 5. While the sheet metal plate may be a separate plate, it is herein illustrated as being an extension 10a of the base 10 which is bent upwardly at right angles thereto and faces the bracket. The novel bearing structure comprises a transverse slot 37 extending from one edge of the plate and having in the lower edge of the slot a recess 38 to form an open bearing for receiving and supporting the end of the shaft 32. The portion 39 of the plate over the slot is bendable out of the plane of the plate so as to expose the open bearing and permit the shaft to be readily inserted therein. The upper edge of the slot is provided with a dependent portion 39a which is positioned to engage the top of the shaft, when it is in position in the open bearing, and hold the shaft firmly in the bearing.

The drum is drivingly connected to the tilter rod so that rotation of the drum in either direction will oscillate Vthe tilter rod. While the drive connection may take many forms, it is herein` illustrated as comprising a worm 40 secured on the shaft and rotatable in aligned apertures 41 in the front face 22 and bearing cap. The worm meshes with a gear 42 rotatably mounted by a bushing 43 on the front face 22 of the bracket. The gear 42 meshes with a gear 44 rotatably mounted in an apertureAS in the end `face 23 of the bracket. Preferably gear 44 is made of nylon or the like and provided with annout-of-round center 46 therein for drivingly receiving the end of the tilter rod 14 to oscillate it in response to rotation of the drum in either direction.

For rotating the drum the present invention provides a novelV cord arrangement and guide means. As shown in the drawings, the. drum 33 is provided with end flanges 33a. The ends of the cords 34, 34a are secured to the ends of the drum and the cords are wound inwardly on the drums with an opposite hand, as shown, and meet substantially at the center of the drum with one cord comingfrom each side of the drum. Thus it will be seen that as cord 34 is pulled downwardly it will rotate the drum in one direction and at the same time cause the cord 34a to be wound on the drum. When the cord 34a is pulled downwardly it will unwind from the drum and cause the cord 34 to be wound'on the drum thus giving positive driving action, due to the several wraps of the cord around the drum, in either direction for oscillating the tilter rod in either direction without slippage,

In order to control the winding and unwinding of the cords on the drum, the present invention provides a novel guide grommet 47 which is mounted in a slot 48 formed in a portion 49 of the base which overlies the cord opening in the headbar. The grommet can be made of nylon or any other material suitable for guiding the cords. As is best shown in Figs. 2 and 4, the grommet comprises a tubular body 50 of rectangular cross-section adapted to be positioned in the slot 48 to slide therealong and is provided with a flange 51 adapted to engage and rest on the walls of the base adjacent the slot 48. The grommet is provided with an elongate passage 52 therein extending longitudinally of the base so as to receive and control the two cords 34, 34a as shown in Figs. l and 4 with the cords disposed in parallel relation. The grommet is positioned so that its upper face lies close to the periphery of the drum so as to prevent undue latitude of the passage of the cords to and from the grommet. To aid in so positioning the grommet, the edge portion 49 of the base is bent upwardly and, if desired, an inclined wall 53 may be formed on the flange to guide the cord 34 in its passage to the bore of the grommet.

In operation it will be seen, therefore, that if the cord 34 in Fig. l is pulled to unwind it from the drum, the grommet will move it to the left and at the same time the cord 34a will wind on the drum and the grommet will move said cord to the left, thus effectively controlling its movement. Similarly, when the cord 34a is pulled to reverse the rotation of the drum, the grommet will move to the right as the cord unwinds and it will guide the cord 34 as it winds on the drum.

In this manner the cord will be kept always in its proper position on the drum and will not be subject to displace-- ment with its consequent jamming and tangling. Further, it will be seen that the cords will be held in the plane of the front face of the blind and will move in said plane throughout the operation of the tilter mechanism.

Under some circumstances it may be desired to replace the cord on the drum. This would normally be very difiicult, particularly in low or narrow headbars. With the present invention, however, it is merely necessary to `bend the upper portion 39 of the plate to the left as shown in Fig. 1 thus releasing the shaft. The drum and connected bracket can be tilted upwardly releasing the tongue 26 on the bracket from interlocked relation with the base and the bracket and the drum can be removed from the headbar for free access thereto. After the cord has been properly replaced and wound on the drum, the bracket and drum are returned to interlocked relation with the base and the portion 39 returned to overlie the shaft and maintain the drum and bracket in position -on the base.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of the claims and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

I claim:

l. A tilter mechanism for a tilter bar adapted to be mounted in the headbar of a Venetian blind comprising a base, a cord drum mounted on the base to extend longitudinally of the headbar and having a driving connection with said tilter bar, a pair of cords connected to the opposite ends of said drum and wound thereon in opposite hand toward the center of said drum whereby downward pull on either one of said cords will unwind said cord and rotate the drum in one direction and will wind up the other cord on the drum, said base having an elongate cord slot extending longitudinally of the drum, and a guide grommet having a portion of rectangular cross-section slidable in said slot, said grommet having a guide passage to receive said cords in parallel relation longitudinally of the axis of the drum and having means overlying the drum on each side of the passage to prevent the cords from being displaced and tangled on the drum during the winding and unwinding thereof.

2. A tilter mechanism for a tilt rod adapted to be mounted in the headbar of a Venetian blind comprising a base, a cord drum mounted on the base to extend longitudinally of the headbar and having a driving connection with said tilt rod to turn said tilt rod in response to rotation of said drum, a pair of cords connected to the opposite ends of said drum and wound thereon in opposite hand toward the center of said drum whereby downward pull on either one of said cords will unwind said cord and rotate the drum in one direction and will wind up the other cord on the drum, said base having a slot extending longitudinally of the drum, and a guide grommet carried by and slidable in said slot, said grommet having a guide passage to receive said cords in parallel relation and having means overlying the drum on each side of the passage to prevent the cords from being displaced and tangled on the drum during the winding and unwinding thereof.

3. A tilter mechanism for a tilt rod adapted to be mounted in the headbar of a Venetian blind comprising a cord drum having a shaft projecting from the ends thereof, means for removably mounting said shaft to extend longitudinally of the headbar comprising a bearing socket at one end for receiving one end of the drum shaft and an end plate spaced therefrom to support the other end of the shaft, said end plate having a transverse slot therein with the lower wall of the slot having a recess to form an open bearing for receiving the shaft, the portion of said end plate above the slot being bendable out of the plane of the wall to permit the shaft to be inserted in said recess after the other end is inserted in said first-mentioned bearing, the upper wall of said slot having a projection intermediate the ends thereof and adapted to engage the shaft when said portion above the slot is returned to the plane of the plate and to hold said shaft firmly in said recess, and means drivingly connecting said shaft to said tilt rod.

4. A tilter mechanism for a tilt rod adapted to be mounted in the headbar of a Venetian blind comprising a base, a cord drum having a shaft projecting from the ends thereof, means for removably mounting said shaft on said base to extend longitudinally of the headbar comprising a bracket removably interlocked with said base and having a socket for receiving one end of the drum shaft and an end plate integral with said base and spaced therefrom to support the other end of the shaft, said end plate having a transverse slot therein with the lower wall of the slot having a recess to form an open bearing for receiving the shaft, the portion of said end plate above the slot being bendable out of the plane of the wall to permit the shaft to be inserted in said recess, and the upper wall of said slot having a projection adapted to engage the shaft when said portion above the slot is returned to the plane of the plate and to hold said shaft firmly in said recess, said drum having a pair of cords connected to the opposite ends of said drum and wound thereon in opposite hand toward the center of said drum whereby downward pull on either one of said cords will unwind said cord and rotate the drum in one direction and will wind up the other cord on the drum, said base having a slot extending longitudinally of the drum, a guide grommet slidable in said slot, said grommet having a guide passage to receive said cords in parallel relation and having means overlying the drum on each side of the passage to prevent the cords from being displaced and tangled on the drum during the winding and unwinding thereof, and means carried by the bracket drivingly connecting said shaft to said tilt rod.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,250,106 Lorentzen July 22, 1941 2,334,132 Sherwood Nov. 9, 1943 2,620,026 Rutledge Dec. 2, 1952 2,641,145 Lawson June 9, 1953 

